Modi Invokes Nehru in Maiden Lok Sabha Speech After Elections, Calls on India Inc for Agri Investments Ahead of Budget

New Delhi: In his attempt to reach out to the opposition after a bitter election season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his reply to the Presidential Address in the Lok Sabha invoked and quoted first PM Jawaharlal Nehru, calling upon the nation to weigh duties over rights, and sought intervention and investment from the Corporate India in making country a "5 trillion economy".

"India has shown to the world that duties take precedence over rights. Rights flow out of duties. Can we take this though forward articulated by a great man," Prime Minister Modi said quoting an extract of the speech made by former PM Nehru in 1951, just at the release of the Congress manifesto for first Lok Sabha polls.

During the presidential debate in Lok Sabha, Opposition leaders had accused the government of ignoring the achievements of the previous governments, including those led by Congress. The prime minister in the past rebutted the allegations instead, and said, "Congress never spoke about the good work done by Atal Bihari Vajpayee or for that matter, work done by Narasimha Rao ."

This was the first extensive intervention by the prime minister after the constitution of the 17th Lok Sabha. In its speech on the Presidential address, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary’s comments on PM comparing with Congress leaders like Indira Gandhi were found to be un-parliamentary and were expunged from the proceedings. Some opposition parties, including Congress, did not attend a meeting called by PM at the start of the session to discuss one nation one poll.

Prime Minister while speaking on the motion in support of President’s address also spelt out some priorities of his government in this second term.

Water conservation and irrigation would be areas where BJP government, he emphasised would lay special emphasis.

“We have to hand hold the farmers. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy,” PM said.

Expressing concern over little or no private investment in agriculture sector Prime Minister indicated that government would formulate policies and programmes to encourage investment for making warehouses and food processing units. “Investment is agriculture does not mean making tractors," he said.